It's Time
by Betsybelle
Summary: Short story in which Gold has to confront his nightmare


"Belle, wait…..I'll go with you". Gold hurried up out of his chair, grabbed the suit jacket that he'd flung across it and ran to the front door where Belle was waiting. He thought he could let her go, but the tightness in his chest and his short, heavy breaths told him he couldn't.

The young woman at the door smiled sympathetically. " I don't think you want to go where I'm going, Rum….don't worry, I'll be fine". She opened the door to step out, but he was still hovering over her. "Come now , I promise you I won't be long".

"If you won't be long, then let me come with you." Gold was pleading now; he could feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. The idea of being apart even for an instant from Belle was agony to him – and it scared him terribly.

"Rum, please – I'm just going out with the girls. I do understand how you feel and I love you for it, but you can't follow me around forever. I'll be fine, I promise". Belle emphasized this last word and, as she did so, she squeezed his hands gently. Not giving him a chance to respond, she kissed him goodbye and stepped out into the sunshine. Gold took a step as if to follow, but thought better of it, closed the door and went to lie on the couch; all of a sudden, his head was pounding. As he knew from experience, lying down came with its own risks, but he was too weak to stand and, in any case, he was now drained and exhausted. Shutting the lights and the blinds, he lay down in the cool of the house and closed his eyes.

"Rumplestiltskin….where are you? Please tell me… I need you. Help me". Gold sat up straight. Not again, he thought – please no. Then, the agonizing plea came again – along with the vision of a young woman, Belle. He knew what was coming and was powerless to stop it. Belle approached him, "still repeating those words that were like daggers in his heart. Despite himself, he got up and reached out for her. "Belle…" – he sobbed her name, over and over. "Belle …..". With an outstretched arm, he gave one last effort to reach her...but she disappeared again, as she always did. "Belle….." and this time Gold was crying. Suddenly, he felt his legs give out from under him; without the cane to aid him, they were not strong enough to support him. Collapsing on the floor physically, Gold collapsed emotionally as well.

Belle whistled as she came into the puzzlingly dark house. Flipping the light switch by the door on, she called Gold's name, but received no response. "Maybe he went out after all – I hope so", she thought…..She had a bad feeling, however; her intuition where it came to Gold was almost infallible – and vice versa. The connection between the two was remarkably strong, born of a love that was intensely deep and profound. Her bad feeling was confirmed as she proceeded further into the house and saw Gold lying in a heap on the floor, sobbing hysterically.

"Oh my god, Rum…..!" Belle threw her her packages to the side, not caring where they landed. Running to his side, she gently lifted him up (it wasn't hard as he was a slight man) and guided him to the couch. Taking him in her arms, she hugged Gold very gently, treating him almost as she would a wounded child. As always, her physical presence served to calm him and he was breathing normally within a few minutes…..well, normally for Gold when he was around Belle. His breaths were coming rapidly and with increasing intensity . His love for her was almost unbearable at times, painful even. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known, inside and out, and he desperately needed her. Extricating himself from her hug, Gold drew in towards her face and kissed Belle gently on the lips, feeling exquisite happiness. He felt her respond …..and then pull away. Puzzled, Gold tried again..but to no avail. She stroked his face gently; even this simplest of gestures filled her with enormous love for him. It was because of this love that she pulled away even though every fiber of her being wanted to be with him. Their love for each other was based as much on emotional need as physical – and she knew instinctively now that they were at a crisis point.

"Rum….no, don't try to speak now. What was it? Was it the same dream"? Belle knew the answer before she asked, but she wanted to hear him confirm it, which he did by nodding. " We've tried it on our own, but it's not working…" She squeezed his hand gently as she spoke; she knew this was a sensitive topic for him. "I think we should give it a shot, don't you?".

Gold knew what Belle was referring to and even though the idea scared him, he knew that something had to be done. He simply couldn't go on like this anymore, tortured by nightmares and guilt. "Yes" he said simply – "I think it's time". Belle smiled at him. " I love you – are you ok? Good". She got up from the couch, found her purse lying on top of the packages and dug through it until she found a piece of paper with a number on it. Taking the paper, she walked over to the phone and, glancing at the number, dialed.

"Hello? Yes, hi. Is Dr. Hopper in please?"


End file.
